Pole-punching machine



Oct. 28, 1930.

G. V. HODGKINS POLE PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 21, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet l lNvENTpR GEORGE M HODGKNS ArTomggxs Oct. 28, 1930.' e. v. HODGKINS 1,779,625

I POLE PUNCHI NG MAC-HINE Filed June 21, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GEOREV-HODGKINS yfi-J 6241mm ATTOR NEYS Oct. 28, 1930.

G. v. HQDGKINS 1,779,625 POLE PUNCHING' MACHINE Filed June 21, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR GEORGE V. Hooemfls $614 bid/6 1m:

Oct; 28, 1930. v HODGKlNs 1,779,625

POLE PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 21, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Iii - ATTORNLYQ INVENTOR EORGE vHooemusf Oct. 28, 1930. e. v. HODGKINS POLE PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 21, 1930 6 sheets sheet 6 A kw in? X II ///I//////I////////V 212$ W///h/////////////////A 7/ TNVENTOR 5 m u o w E mv 3 B Patented Oct. '28, 1930 UNITED ST T S PA ENT. FF g GEORGE v. nonexms; or MInNEAroLIs mnEsorA; smo -mime VALErITINE.

CLARK 00., 0F sr. PAUL, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION or rnmnors'] v POLE-P'UNCI-IING 'VZISLIIACHINE Applicationfiled nine 2 This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for perforating wood preparatory to receiving preservative material. The invention is an improvement over the inventions of Patent Number 1,701,324. 1

Main objects of this invention are to so manipulate or operate the perforating instrus mentalities as to obtain uniformity of: depth of perforation, and in a manner not to break or bruisethe sapwood, and to perform these operations automatical In preparing poles'f or impregnation, it 7 has been difficult (because of the circumferentially ununiform configurations of. the poles) to obtain a uniform depth of punch ingand at the same time, preventlinjury tothe sapwood. In other words, it has, before this invention, been practically impossible to prevent over-stroke or under-stroke, or over or-under-run of the punching instrumentalities. The over-stroke not only has resulted in the breaking of the sapwood, but some" times in the breaking of the mechanism itself.

Important objects are, therefore, to provide mechanism for obtaining uniform and proper depth of perforation; for preventing over-stroke and injury to the mechanism; for

preventing over-stroke and injury to the sapwood; to provide means which automatically 7 compensates for circumferential inequalities in the log being punched, by moving either the work, or the punching instrumentalities toward or away from one another, conformably to the degree and direction of the variation; to provide hydraulically-operable means for accomplishing the above results;

to provide means hydraulically-operable for raising the pole toand lowering it from operative position; to provide means for synchronizing and co-ordinating the devices for performing their various functions; and genorally to provide a comparatively simple practicable and eflicient device for the purposes in hand.

Featuresof the invention include the broad idea of automatically controlling punching instrumentalities in a device of this kind, to obtain uniform depth of punching and prevent injury to the sapwood; thedetails of 1930. Serial no. 462,905.

construction for carrying out the scheme and combinations of elements whereby the control is synchronized with the means for reciproeating the punching head: and'obtaining stepby-step rotation of the work, along with various details ofconstruction shown. V

Advantages, features and objects ofthe invention. will appear. in the description of tion, and in said drawings 7 j j Figure 1 is atop planview;

Figure 2 the drawings forming part of this applica- V ,s a vertlcal sectional elevation taken substantially on line 2-42 of Figure 1 Figure 3lis a side elevation partly insection viewed from that side of Figure 1 indicated by line 3 3.; V I V Figure & is a schematic view illustrating the automatic, as Well as the "manual. controls; I Figure 5 is a vertical section illustrating part of the valved structures ofthe fluid-operable control system; i

Figure 6 is a vertical section of one of the valves taken on line'6'6 of Figure 5 V Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of the other valve taken on line 7.-7 of Figureb Figure 8 is a detail view of the timingand stroke-adjusting means forthe work-engaging, and valve-operating levers Figure 9 is a plan section of the structure of figure Staken on line 99 of that figure; an

r Figure 10 is'a vertical crosssection illustratingthe construction of one form of punch,- ing instrumentality whichmay be automatically controlled by the device herein, or in relation'to which the work maybe automatically adjusted. v l H V v 1 The structural-iron supporting frame for the mechanism is generally indicatedl, and

comprises,amon'gother elements, a bridging structure generally'indicated at 2, see F igure 2, supported at opposite sides on I-beams 3 inturn supported on suitable'foundations. Inasmuch as the perforating apparatus and its structure and operation are described in detail in PatentNumber 1,701,324, a complete detaileoldescription is not entered into :here} in. Vertically-slidably guided in the frame work just described is an element 5 (as a cross described are features of the invention, the main feature comprises automatically operable'means for adjusting the work with reference to the punching elements so that. these elements will at no time be operated in a manner to injure the sapwood. Thisautomatic device is best shown schematically in Figure 4. v I

The device for automatically maintaining a predetermined'relation between the work' from the supply tank and-compresses it in the pressure tank. A hand valve 83 controls flow from the pressure tank 81 in one direction, and another hand valve indicated at 85controls fluid flow in the-opposite direction and also controls the'return line to thesupply tank (see below). Another hand valve 86 controls the flow to and from the cylinder 29. 1 Supply pipe 87 connects tank 81 with valve 83, and valve 83 is connected by pipe 88 with the throttle valve 89. The valve 89 is connected by pipe 99 with valve chamber 92- of the valve casing generally indicated at 91. Pressure tank is also connected by pipe 93 with the port94 of valve 85 and this valve 85 is also connected by port 95 with port 96 of valve 86." Port 97 connects valve '86 through pipe 98 with the cylinder 29. Port 100 of valve :i s connected through pipe 101 with the supplytank 80. The ports --96 are connected bypipe 102 and a branchpipe 103 leads from this connection to valve--90, and valve 90 is connected by branch 104'with pipe'110 adjacent cylinder 28. It is evident that by properly position ing thepiston-like valves 85.86,the pressure line can be opened to cylinder 29 through ports 94, 95, 96 and 97.. .When this line is open and when the valve 85 is properly ma-f nipulated the cylinder 29 can be put in comthereinto, through ports 97,96, 95, and. thence to munication with the supply tank to empty In this case, the fluid passes the supplyt'ank; Chamber 92 of valve struc- -a chamber 113 connected by valve control ture 91 is connected through port 105 with chamber 106 in turn connected by pipe 107. with check valve 108. The checkvalve opens. .only in direction of the arrow A. Check valve 108'is connected by pipe 109'with pipe 110 whichpipe is in turn connected with the cylinder 28. Valve structure'112 provides port 11 1 with chamber 115. Chamber is connected by pipe 116 with pipe 101 leadingto the sup'ply tank 80. Chamber 1:13 is connectedby supply pipe 117, with supply Pipes 105F110 Valve Stems 120-121 re- .2 'spectively control valves which'control port 105 114. The stems 120 and '121 are engaged by the lower surface of the lever and by portions of such surface which lie-at opposite sides of the pivot 131. L Suitable springs cause the valves to close automati--.

cally. The valves are'opened against the the pivot 131. When one of these valves is closed, the other is open, and vice versa.

VVhen'port 105 is opened and port 114 is closed, the work support 25 is raised. When port 114 is opened and 105 is closed, the work support is lowered.

I The means foraccomplishing this alternate: opening and closing of the valves includes a lever 130 pivoted as at 131 and having a counterweight 132 on one armand having the other arm connected by an adjustable link mechanism, generally designated 133, with. arm 134attached to shaft 135, see Figure ,1.

Also attached to the shaft are twoarms136, diametrically related to the first arm but at .the opposite side of theshaft,'andeach arm 136 has a roller 138 pivoted'thereon which en-;

gages the work 31. An arm 136 lies at each opposite end and laterally ofthe punching instrumentalities, see Figures 1 and 2. As the contour of the log changes, the lever136 is rocked in conformity to the variation in? the circumferential configuration of the work, and through arm 134, link 133, and

tension ofthese springs, depending on the direction of oscillation of lever 130 about lever 130 the valve stems are'correspondingly. moved; In this instance, when the roller is lowered, .due to increased'distanceof thei periphery of the work from the punches, fluid is introduced intocylin'der 28'to r'aise the work supportrand bring the work nearer to the punching instrumentalities. -When the roller is raised, orwhen the distance between; its periphery and'the punches decreases, fluid is exhausted from the. cylinder 28 and the the log a little farther away-from the punching vinstrumentalities'. either direction are comparatively sliglitor, in other. words, lie within a comparatively small range. V The action is practically instantaneous; The range of movement can be changed, andtimed, and ad ustm ents in this regard can be very accurately made by the device best shown in Figures 8 and 9. To this end, the arm 134 is longitudinally slotted as at 150, see Figures 8 and 9, and in this slot is slidably arranged a block 151, pivoted as at 152 to and between arms 153 of block 15 1.

The movements in;

work support .moves downwardly, moving This block is in threaded connection with a pin 155, whichpin has an extension 156 in threaded engagement as at 157 with adjusting-sleeve 158; Thethreaded portion 156 has a jamb nut 159. The arm 160 of lever 130 has pivoted thereto as'at 161, apin *having a reduced extension 171 slidable in sleeve 158,

and has its end abutting the end of the threaded extension 156. The weight 132 9 tends to maintain this abutting relation. Thus the distance between the pivotal points 152 and 161 may be varied and, therefore, the roller of lever 134: may be raised or lowered with reference to the punching instrumentalities. Moreover, a speed variation can be obtained by adjusting the block in slot 151 radially with respect to shaft 185. To this end, a clevis 175 is arranged in the slot and is secured to pin 152. To this clevis, a threaded rod 181 is swiveled as at 182. The rod 181 is in threaded engagement with the arm 134, and suitable jamb nuts 18318 1 are employed to secure the rod after adjustment has been made. The rod is provided with a suitable wrench head 185.

By the above described mechanism, used in conjunction with certain other devices, the punching instrumentalities can be perfectly controlled in a. manner to obtain the proper depth of punching but without injury to the sapwood.

Hand-control connections are so arranged that when the lever-operated throttle valve 89 is open, the lever-operated valve 90 in the drain or return line from cylinder 28, is closed, and vice versa. The hand valve 83 is kept closed until the machine is ready to start, and until the cylinder 19 has been operated to get rid of the water of condens tion. A rod or equivalent element 200 connects the levers of the lever-operated valves 89-90 for movement in unison, one to close when the other opens and vice versa. The throttle lever is indicated at 201, see-also Figure 1 and this lever is connected by a rod 201 with the arm of the valve 89. The throttle lever 201, see Figure 1, is also connected by element 202 with the operating arm 203 of the clutch 55. The parts are so arranged and proportioned that when the throttle is operated to open valve 89, clutch 55 is thrown in to connect pulley 51 for operating shaft 50, thus starting the step-by-step, work-rotating mechanism, and the punching instrumen-' talities, as soon as the device is conditioned for automatically adjusting the work with reference to the punching instrumentalities.

The adjustment of the valve control levers is made in reference to the position of the punching instrumentalities. Let it be supposed that the punch has a two inch stroke, that is, that the head has a two inch range of motion. The wheel which engages the log is then set in some predetermined relation to the bottom of the teeth. It is evident that if the lowermost portion of this wheel were set three inches below the punch tips, no punching could be accomplished because the valve would be open and the log lowered before the punching instrumentalities would engage the log. If the lowermost portion of the wheel is set one and one-half inches below the bottom of the punches, it is evident that the punches will enter one-half an inch into the log, and the entry distance of the punches is increased as the distance 1s decreased. In one of the devices which is operating, and which Operation Although Figure 4 represents a condition in which the work support 25 is being raised, we will first assume the log-supporting devices 2526 to be in lowermost position, The work 31 is then laid upon the rollers 30. At this time, throttle Valve 89 is closed, valve 90 is open, port 105 is open, port 114 is closed, and the exhaust line from the cylinder 28 to the supply tank is open through 110, 104, valve 90., 103, 102, port 95, port 100 and 101. The exhaust line from cylinder 29 to the supply tank is also open through 98, port 9?, port 96, 102, port 95, 100 and 101. The master valves and 86 are arranged near one another so that the operator has immediate access to both.

Valve 85 is now moved to the position shown in Figure 4 to close the exhaust line from cylinder 28 to the supply tank, and to establish a pressure line connection from the pressure tank 81 to the cylinder through 93, port 94-, port 95, 103, valve 90, 104:, 110. The valve 86 is also moved to a position below that shown in the figure, to-establish a pressure line connection from the pressure tank to the cylinder 29, through 93, ports 94 and 95, 102, 9G, and ports 97 and 98. The valves 85, and 86 are simultaneously operated so that both work supports simultaneously rise. Ordinarily support 29 rises at a greater rate. This raising of the supports is continued until the work is in approximately the proper operative relation to the punches. The valve 86 is then set at the position shown to close the exhaust line so that work support 26 is held in upper position, and valve 85 is raised from the position shown to establish an exhaust connection from cylinder 28 to supply tank 80, through valve 90. The throttle lever 201 is now operated to open valve 89 and close 90, and throw clutch 55 in, so that the punch and the work-rolling or feeding mechanisms, begin to operate in synchronized relation. The surface of the log is now engaging the roller 138, and ifthat portion of the surface of the work which is to be punched is too far from the punches, which condition is assumed in Figure 4, the lovers are rocked in direction of the full line arrows, port 105 is open, port 114- is closed, and fluid pressure is delivered from the tank 81 to cylinder 28 through 87, hand valve 83 (previously opened), 88, valve 89, 99, chamber 92, port 105, chamber 108, 107, check valve 108, 109 and 110, to raise the Work support, and so position the work that the punches not only enter, but enter exactly to the desired depth. If now, due to some circumferential inequalities, the Work assumes a too closely spaced relation to the punches, the lovers are rocked in an opposite direction (see dotted line arrow) and port 114 is opened, and port 105 closed. Opening of the port 114 establishes an exhaust communication be tween the cylinder 28 and the-supply tank as follows: (valve 90 being closed) 110, 116, chamber 113, port 114, chamber 115, 116 and 101, and the support 25 is lowered, and the work retracted.

The adjustment response in this system is substantially instantaneous and when the parts are so related that injury to the sap wood would result, the distance between the punches and the work is increased, and when the parts are so related that the punches would not enter the work to the proper extent, this distance is decreased. This may be accomplished by automatically adjusting either punches or work support, or both, and in its broader aspects, there is no intension to limit the invention. However, at present the most convenient way is to automatically. adjust the work support.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the class described comprising movable work-supporting instrumentalities, movable punching .instrumentalities adapted to operate upon work carried by the support, and means adapted to automatically adjust at least one instrumentality in relation to the other to increase or decrease the distance between them in conformity to circumferential inequalities of the work and in a manner to obtain a uniform depth of punching without injury to the sapwood.

2. A device of the class described comprising movable work-supporting instrumen talities, movable punching instrumentalities adapted to operate upon work carried by the support, and fluid-operable means adapted to automatically adjust at least one instrumentality in relation to the other to increase or decrease the distance between them inconformity to inequalities of the work, and in a manner to obtain a uniform depth of punching without injury to the sapwood.

3. A device of the class described comprising movable work-supporting instrumentalities, movable punching instrumentalities adapted to operate upon work carried by the support, and fluid-operable means adapted to automatically adjust at least one instrumentality in relation to the other to increase or decrease the distance between them in conformity to circumferential inequalities of the work,'and in a manner to obtain auniform depth of punching withoutinjury to the sapwood. 1

4. A device of the class described comprising movable work-supporting instrumentalities, =movab1e punching. instrumentalities adapted to'operateupon'work carried by the support, and fluid-operable means adapted to automatically adjust at-least one instrumentalityin relation to the other to increase or decreasethe distance between them in conformity to circumferential inequalities of the work and in a manner to obtaina uniform depth ofpunching without injury to the sapwood, said meansincluding a pair of valves levers arranged to control the valves, one of said levers havinga portion incontactwith the surface of the workin a manner to'move the lever conformably to surfaceirregularities. Y a a 5. A device of the class described comprising movable work-supporting instrumentalities, movable punching instrumentalities adapted to operate upon work carried by the support, and fluid-operable means adapted to automatically adjust at least one instrumentality in relation to the other to increase or decrease the distance between them inconformity to circumferential inequalities of the work and in a manner to obtain a uniform depth of punching without injury to the sap wood, sald means including valves, levers arranged to control the valves, one of said levers having a portion in contact with the surface of the Work in a manner to move the lever conformably to circumferential irregularities.

6. A device of the class described providing a support upon which the work may be turned, a head adapted to reciprocate toward and away from the work and having punching instrumentalities for engaging the work, and a valve-controlled pressure fluid system adapted to operate said work support including an element which engages the work and is moved in opposite directions thereby conformably to inequalities in the work, and which is adapted when moved in one direction to raise the work towards the instrumentalities and when moved in the opposite direction to reverse direction of motion of the work.

7. A device of the class described comprising a work support, a head arranged to be advanced towards and withdrawn from the work support, said head having punching means adapted to engage the work and hydraulic means for raising and lowering the work support with reference to the punching device contacts a depression in the work, and for moving the work away from the punching means when said element contacts a projection of the work.

8. A device of the class described including a work support, punching means adapted to be advanced toward and withdrawn from a log arranged on the support, movable pilot elements engaging the log at opposite sides of the punching instrumentalities to be ai? fected by variations in the circumferential configuration of the log, fluid-operable means controlled by said pilot elements, and adapted to'adjust the work support relative to the punching means to prevent over-run of the punching means sufficient to hammer the wood and injure the sapwood, and to obtain a uniform depth of punching, and means for giving a step-by-step rotation to the work between punching operations.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of June, 1930.

GEORGE V. HODGKINS. 

